Smart Line-In Processing in a Group

ABSTRACT

Technology for smart line-in processing in an audio environment is disclosed. An example playback device includes a line-in connector for receiving a first audio signal, a network interface, and a processor. A computer readable storage medium has stored instructions executable by the processor to determine that the first audio signal is present at the line-in connector, and, in response to determining that the first audio signal is present at the line-in connector, (i) cease playback of a second audio signal being played by the playback device, wherein the second audio signal is not present at the line-in connector, (ii) cause the playback device to play at least a first portion of the first audio signal, and (iii) cause the playback device to transmit, via the network interface, at least a second portion of the first audio signal to another playback device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 13/089,167, filed on Apr. 18, 2011,entitled “SMART LINE-IN PROCESSING”, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The presently described technology is directed towards technology foruse in the area of consumer electronics. In particular, certainembodiments are directed to smart line-in processing for use in an audioenvironment.

Music is very much a part of our everyday lives. And thanks to theadvancement of technology, music content is now more accessible thanever. The same can be said of other types of media, such as television,movies, and other audio and video content. In fact, now a user can evenaccess the content over the Internet through an online store, anInternet radio station, online music service, online movie service, andthe like, in addition to the more traditional means of accessing audioand video content.

The demand for such audio and video content continues to surge. Giventhe high demand over the years, technology used to access and play suchcontent has likewise improved. Even still, technology used in accessingthe content and the play back of such content can be significantlyimproved or developed in ways that the market or end users may notanticipate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentlydescribed technology will become better understood by a person skilledin the art with regard to the following description, appended claims,and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative configuration in which certain embodimentsmay be practiced;

FIG. 2A shows an illustrative functional block diagram of a player inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 2B shows an example of a controller that may be used to remotelycontrol one or more players of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C shows an example of a controller that may be used to remotelycontrol one or more players of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D shows an example internal functional block diagram of acontroller in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 3A provides an illustration of a zone scene configuration;

FIG. 3B shows that a user defines multiple groups to be gathered at thesame time;

FIG. 4 shows an example user interface that may be displayed on acontroller or a computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A shows an example user interface to allow a user to form a scene;

FIG. 5B shows another example user interface to allow a user to form ascene;

FIG. 5C shows an example user interface to allow a user to adjust avolume level of the zone players in a zone scene individually orcollectively;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart or process of providing a player theme or azone scene for a plurality of players, where one or more of the playersare placed in a zone;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative configuration in which an audio source isplayed back on two players in accordance to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative configuration of a pairing amongst multipleplayers in accordance to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart or process of grouping a plurality of audioproducts to play separated sound tracks in synchronization to simulate amulti-channel listening environment;

FIGS. 10A to 10F show example snapshots of a controller used in certainembodiments; and

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative configuration of smart in-line processing,in accordance with certain embodiments.

In addition, the drawings are for the purpose of illustrating certainembodiments, but it is understood that the inventions are not limited tothe arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. OVERVIEW

The embodiments described herein relate to smart line-in processing. Theembodiments are particularly useful in a networked environment where aplayback device is capable of playing audio data from two or moredifferent sources, and at least one of the sources receives its audiodata from an audio device via a line-in connection. An advantage ofcertain embodiments described herein, among many other advantages, isthat a listener can control the audio device itself and let the systemdetect a line-in signal and automatically switch the source of theplayback device to play from the audio device. As such, the listenerdoes not have to manually switch the source of the playback devicebefore playing the audio device. Another advantage of certainembodiments described herein is that the system may allow the listenerto switch the playback device to a different source even while theline-in signal is still present. Yet another advantage of certainembodiments described herein is that the system is capable of rearmingitself such that the system can switch the source back to the audiodevice, should the system once again detect the line-in signal. Theembodiments may also find utility in connection with any environment forwhich multi-source playback is desired.

In certain embodiments, a playback device is idle and therefore notproducing sound or the playback device is configured to receive and playa first audio data stream from a first source. The playback device isfurther capable to receive and play a second audio data stream from asecond source. The second source is coupled to an audio device through aline-in connector on the second source. A listener commands the audiodevice to play audio. The second source is configured, such that when asignal is detected on the line-in connector, the second sourceautomatically switches the playback device to play audio from the audiodevice via the second audio data stream. The switch to play audio fromthe audio device may optionally be performed only after the secondsource detects a signal on the line-in connector for a threshold time.The playing of the second audio data stream may override the playing ofthe first audio data stream. The playback device and any of the firstsource and second source may be components of a single apparatus, or theplayback device may be separate from any of the first source and secondsource and communicate with one another, such as over a network.

In certain embodiments, a playback device is configured to receive andplay audio from a source, where the source receives the audio from anaudio device coupled to the source via a line-in connector. During playof the audio from the audio device, a listener commands the playbackdevice to play a new audio data stream from a different source. Uponreceipt of the command, the playback device switches to play the newaudio data stream. The playback device subsequently instructs the sourceto stop sending the audio of the audio device to the playback device.The source stops sending the audio to the playback device and waitsuntil it no longer detects a signal on its line-in connector for aninterval of time. When a signal is not detected on the line-in connectorfor the interval of time, the source is ready to automatically switchthe playback device to play audio from the audio device, should thesource once again detect a signal on its line-in connector. The playbackdevice and any of the source and the different source may be componentsof a single apparatus, or the playback device may be separate from anyof the source and the different source and communicate with one another,such as over a network.

In certain embodiments, the playback device is configured to outputaudio data according to a first volume level. When the playback deviceis automatically switched to play audio from a new source, where the newsource receives the audio from an audio device coupled to the new sourcevia a line-in connector, the volume of the playback device is modifiedto a second volume level. The second volume level is set such thatincreased dynamic range is given to a volume control of the audio deviceconnected via line-in to the new source. When the playback deviceswitches to play audio from a source that is different from the newsource having the line-in connector, the volume of the playback deviceis returned to a safe volume level such that the audio is not playedback to the listener at a high level.

In certain embodiments, a playback device comprises a network interface,a processor, and optionally, any of: an amplifier and a speaker driver.The network interface may be configured to receive and transmit audiodata over a network. The amplifier, if the playback device is soequipped, powers the optional speaker driver. The processor processesaudio data to be sent to another device for actual playback, outputthrough the speaker driver if the playback device is so configured, orboth. The playback device further comprises a line-in connector forreceiving audio from an audio device. The playback device may implementautomatic source switching, such that when a signal is detected on theline-in connector, the playback device automatically triggers the audiofrom the audio device to be played by the playback device itself, to beplayed by another device in communication with this playback device, orby both. The automatic switch to play audio from the audio device mayoptionally be performed only after a signal is detected on the line-inconnector for a threshold time.

In certain embodiments, a playback device comprises a network interface,a processor, an amplifier, and a speaker driver. The network interfacemay be configured to receive and transmit audio data over a network. Theamplifier powers the speaker driver. The processor processes audio datato be output through the speaker driver. The playback device may beautomatically switched to play streaming audio data that is receivedfrom a source device. The source device includes a line-in connector,through which an audio device is connected. When a signal is detected onthe line-in connector of the source device, thereby indicating that alistener wishes to hear audio from the audio device, the playback devicereceives a command from the source device to automatically play thestreaming audio data from the audio device. The automatic switch to playaudio from the audio device may optionally be performed only after asignal is detected on the line-in connector for a threshold time.

These embodiments and many additional embodiments are described morebelow. Further, the detailed description is presented largely in termsof illustrative environments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks,processing, and other symbolic representations that directly orindirectly resemble the operations of data processing devices coupled tonetworks. These process descriptions and representations are typicallyused by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. Numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe present invention. However, it is understood to those skilled in theart that certain embodiments of the present invention may be practicedwithout certain, specific details. In other instances, well knownmethods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

Reference herein to “embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentcan be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Theappearances of this phrase in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separateor alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Theembodiments described herein, explicitly and implicitly understood byone skilled in the art, may be combined with other embodiments.

II. EXAMPLE ENVIRONMENT

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals may refer to likeparts throughout the several views. FIG. 1 shows an exemplaryconfiguration 100 in which certain embodiments may be practiced. Theconfiguration 100 may represent, but not be limited to, a part of aresidential home, a business building, or a complex with multiple zones.There are a number of multimedia players of which three examples 102,104 and 106 are shown as audio devices. Each of the audio devices may beinstalled or provided in one particular area or zone and hence referredto as a zone player herein. It is understood that a zone can comprisemore than one zone player.

As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, an audio source oraudio sources are generally in digital format and can be transported orstreamed over a data network. To facilitate the understanding of theexample environment of FIG. 1, it is assumed that the configuration 100represents a home. Though, it is understood that this technology is notlimited to its place of application. Referring back to FIG. 1, the zoneplayers 102 and 104 may be located in one or two of the bedrooms whilethe zone player 106 may be installed or positioned in a living room. Allof the zone players 102, 104, and 106 are coupled directly or indirectlyto a data network 108. In addition, a computing device 110 is shown tobe coupled on the network 108. In reality, any other device such as ahome gateway device, a storage device, or an MP3 player may be coupledto the network 108 as well.

The network 108 may be a wired network, a wireless network or acombination of both. In one example, all devices including the zoneplayers 102, 104, and 106 are coupled to the network 108 by wirelessmeans based on an industry standard such as IEEE 802.11. In yet anotherexample, all devices including the zone players 102, 104, and 106 arepart of a local area network that communicates with a wide area network(e.g., the Internet). In still another example, all devices includingthe zone players 102, 104 and 106 and a controller 142 forms an ad-hocnetwork and may be specifically named, e.g., a household identifier:Smith Family, to be differentiated from a similar neighboring setup witha household identifier, e.g., Kallai Family.

Many devices on the network 108 are configured to download and storeaudio sources. For example, the computing device 110 can download audiosources, such as music or audio associated with videos, from theInternet (e.g., the “cloud”) or some other source and store thedownloaded audio sources locally for sharing with other devices on theInternet or the network 108. The computing device 110 or any of the zoneplayers 102, 104, and 106 can also be configured to receive streamingaudio. Shown as a stereo system, the device 112 is configured to receivean analog audio source (e.g., from broadcasting) or retrieve a digitalaudio source (e.g., from a compact disk). The analog audio sources canbe converted to digital audio sources. In accordance with certainembodiments, the various audio sources may be shared among the deviceson the network 108.

Two or more zone players (e.g., any two or more of the zone players 102,104, and 106) may be grouped together to form a new zone group. Anycombinations of zone players and an existing zone group may be groupedtogether. In one instance, a new zone group is formed by adding one zoneplayer to another zone player or an existing zone group.

In certain embodiments, there are two or more zone players in oneenvironment (e.g., a living room in a house). Instead of grouping thesetwo zone players to play back the same audio source in synchrony, thesetwo zone players may be configured to play two separate sounds in leftand right channels. In other words, the stereo effects of a sound arereproduced or enhanced through these two zone players, one for the leftsound and the other for the right sound. Likewise, for a 3-channel (or2.1 sound effects) sound, three such zone players may be reconfigured asif there are three speakers: left and right speakers and a subwoofer toform a stereo sound. The details of the reconfiguring the zone playersand operating these audio products are described more below. Similarconfigurations with multiple channels (greater than 3, such as 4, 5, 6,7, 9 channels and so on) also apply. For example, configurations thatuse more than two channels may be useful in television and theater typesettings, where video content such as in the form of television andmovies is played together with audio content that contains more than twochannels. Further, certain music might similarly be encoded with morethan two channel sound.

In certain embodiments, two or more zone players may be consolidated toform a single, consolidated zone player. The consolidated zone playermay further be paired with a single zone player or yet anotherconsolidated zone player. A consolidated zone player may comprise one ormore individual playback devices. Each playback device of a consolidatedplayback device is preferably set in a consolidated mode.

According to certain embodiments, one can continue to do any of: group,consolidate, and pair until a desired configuration is complete. Theactions of grouping, consolidation, and pairing are preferably performedthrough a control interface and not by physically connecting andre-connecting speaker wire, for example, to individual, discretespeakers to create different configurations. As such, certainembodiments described herein provide a more flexible and dynamicplatform through which sound reproduction can be offered to theend-user.

According to certain embodiments, a particular zone player (e.g., any ofzone players 102, 104, and 106) may be configured to receive a firstaudio data stream from a first source. The first source might obtain thefirst audio data stream from any of a downloaded song(s) (e.g., a musicfile stored on an accessible hard-drive), Internet radio station, onlinemusic service, online movie service, and the like, in addition to themore traditional means of accessing audio and video content. The zoneplayer may be further capable to receive and play a second audio datastream from a second source. The second source may be coupled to anaudio device through a line-in connector on the second source. Incertain embodiments, an audio device might include any of an audiosignal source device, such as a record player, radio, cassette player,CD player, DVD player, etc. In certain embodiments, an audio source mayinclude a wireless networking device, such as an AirPort Express, whichis an audio device that is commercially offered for sale by Apple, Inc.The AirPort Express may provide streaming audio data to the line-inconnection of the second source. Audio data from the AirPort Expressdevice may be controlled via a graphical interface, such as an iTunesmusic player, which may be separate from a controller of the playbackdevice or the second source. It is understood that the first and secondsources may include zone players (e.g., any of zone players 102, 104,and 106).

A listener may command the audio device to play audio (e.g., withouthaving to manually switch sources on the zone player). For example, ifthe audio device is an AirPort Express, a listener may use anAirPort-enabled computer or smart phone with an iTunes music player, forexample, to command the audio device to play. The second source isconfigured, such that when a signal is detected on the line-inconnector, the second source automatically switches the zone player toplay audio from the audio device via the second audio data stream. Theswitch to play audio from the audio device may optionally be performedonly after the second source detects a signal on the line-in connectorfor a threshold time. An example threshold time is 300 milliseconds orless, though any programmed time can work. The play back of the secondaudio data stream may override the play back of the first audio datastream. The zone player and any of the first source and second sourcemay be components of a single apparatus, or the playback device may beseparate from any of the first source and second source and communicatewith one another, such as over a network.

At some later point in time, with the audio device connected to thesecond source via its line-in connector still playing, the listener maydecide to play a new audio data stream from a different source andresponsively input a command that is communicated to the zone player toplay the new audio data stream. The zone player receives the command andswitches to the listener's desired source and the new audio data streamis played. The zone player subsequently instructs the second sourcehaving the line-in connector to stop sending its audio data stream tothe zone player. At this point, the second source waits until it nolonger detects a signal on its line-in connector for an interval oftime. An example interval of time is 13 seconds or less, though anyprogrammed time can work. The second source is now armed (or rearmed)and once again ready to automatically switch the playback on the zoneplayer to the audio data stream from the second source, should thesecond source once again detect a signal on its line-in connector fromthe audio device.

An advantage of certain embodiments described above is that the listenercan control the audio device itself (e.g., such as by pressing “play” or“stop” on the audio device itself or by pressing “play” or “stop” on agraphical interface associated with the audio device) and let the systemdetect a line-in signal and automatically switch the source of the zoneplayer, without requiring the listener from having to manually switchthe zone player source.

Another advantage of certain embodiments described above is that thesystem may allow the listener to switch the playback device to adifferent source even while the line-in signal is still present.

Yet another advantage of certain embodiments described above is that thesystem is capable of rearming itself such that the system can switch thesource back to the audio device, should the system once again detect theline-in signal.

According to some embodiments, a particular zone player (e.g., any ofzone players 102, 104, and 106) is configured to output audio dataaccording to a first volume level. When the zone player is automaticallyswitched to play an audio data stream from a new source having a line-inconnector, the volume of the zone player is modified to a second volumelevel. The second volume level is set such that increased dynamic rangeis given to a volume control of the line-in connected source. An examplesecond volume level is 75 percent of total volume. When the zone playerswitches once again to play an audio stream from a source that isdifferent from the new source having the line-in connector, the volumeof the zone player is returned to a safe volume level such that thataudio is not played back to the listener at a high level. An examplesafe volume level is 25 percent of total volume.

It is understood that the technology described herein is not limited toits place of application. For example, it is understood that zones andzone players, and the embodiments described herein, may also be used invehicles, on water craft, airplanes, amphitheaters, outdoors, along thestreets in a village or city, and so on, in addition to homes, offices,gyms, schools, hospitals, hotels, movie theaters, malls, stores,casinos, museum, entertainment parks, or any other place where audiocontent is played. As such, it will be appreciated that the embodimentsdescribed herein may be used in connection with any system orapplication for which a certain audio system configuration is desired.

III. EXAMPLE PLAYBACK DEVICES

Referring now to FIG. 2A, there is shown an exemplary functional blockdiagram of a zone player 200 in accordance with an embodiment. The zoneplayer 200 includes a network interface 202, line-in connection 220,processor 204, memory 206, audio processing circuit 210, module 212,optionally, audio amplifier 214 that may be internal or external, andoptionally, speaker unit 218 connected to the audio amplifier 214. Thenetwork interface 202 facilitates a data flow between a data network(i.e., the data network 108 of FIG. 1) and the zone player 200 andtypically executes a special set of rules (i.e., a protocol) to senddata back and forth. One of the common protocols used in the Internet isTCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). In general, anetwork interface 202 manages the assembling of an audio source or fileinto smaller packets that are to be transmitted over the data network orreassembles received packets into the original source or file. Inaddition, the network interface 202 handles the address part of eachpacket so that it gets to the right destination or intercepts packetsdestined for the zone player 200. Accordingly, in certain embodiments,each of the packets includes an IP-based source address as well as anIP-based destination address.

The network interface 202 may include one or both of a wirelessinterface 216 and a wired interface 217. The wireless interface 216,also referred to as an RF interface, provides network interfacefunctions by a wireless means for the zone player 200 to communicatewith other devices in accordance with a communication protocol (such asthe wireless standard IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or802.15.1). The wired interface 217 provides network interface functionsby a wired means (e.g., an Ethernet cable). In one embodiment, a zoneplayer includes both of the interfaces 216 and 217, and other zoneplayers include only a RF or wired interface. Thus these other zoneplayers communicate with other devices on a network or retrieve audiosources via the zone player. The processor 204 is configured to controlthe operation of other parts in the zone player 200. The memory 206 maybe loaded with one or more software modules that can be executed by theprocessor 204 to achieve desired tasks. According to one embodiment, asoftware module implementing an embodiment, such as described herein, isexecuted, the processor 204 operates in accordance with the softwaremodule in reference to a saved zone group configuration characterizing azone group created by a user, the zone player 200 is caused to retrievean audio source from another zone player or a device on the network andsynchronize the players in the zone group to play back the audio sourceas desired. According to another embodiment, a software moduleimplementing an embodiment described herein creates a pair between twoor more zone players to create a desired multi-channel audioenvironment.

According to another embodiment, a software module implementing one ormore embodiments described herein allows for automated source switching.For example, processor 204 operates in accordance with a software modulefor determining that an audio signal is present at the line-in connector220 and responsively switches a source of a zone player or playbackdevice to the audio device. Processor 204, in accordance with a softwaremodule, may further receive an instruction to stop the play back ofaudio data from the audio device even when the audio signal is presentat the line-in connector 220. Processor 204, in accordance with asoftware module, may further determine that the audio signal is nolonger present at the line-in connector 220 and responsively rearm, suchthat a subsequent presence of the audio signal will switch the source tothe audio device.

Line-in connection 220 may include a socket for a jack plug or someother audio connector and may be coupled to the audio processing circuit210. In certain embodiments, the line-in connection 220 includes asocket for any of a 0.25 inch plug, a 3.5 mm plug, and a 2.5 mm plug. Anillustrative setup may include connecting an AirPort Express via its 3.5mm stereo mini-jack connection to the zone player 200 via its 3.5 mmconnection (e.g., line-in connection 220).

According to one embodiment, the memory 206 is used to save one or moresaved zone configuration files that may be retrieved for modification atany time. Typically, a saved zone group configuration file istransmitted to a controller (e.g., the controlling device 140 or 142 ofFIG. 1, a computer, a portable device, or a TV) when a user operates thecontrolling device. The zone group configuration provides an interactiveuser interface so that various manipulations or control of the zoneplayers may be performed.

In certain embodiments, the audio processing circuit 210 resembles thecircuitry in an audio playback device and includes one or moreanalog-to-digital converters (ADC), one or more digital-to-analogconverters (DAC), an audio preprocessing part, an audio enhancement partor a digital signal processor and others. In operation, when an audiosource is retrieved via the network interface 202, the audio source isprocessed in the audio processing circuit 210 to produce analog audiosignals. The processed analog audio signals are then provided to theaudio amplifier 214 for playback on speakers. In addition, the audioprocessing circuit 210 may include necessary circuitry to process analogsignals as inputs to produce digital signals for sharing with otherdevices on a network.

Depending on an exact implementation, the module 212 may be implementedas a combination of hardware and software. In one embodiment, the module212 is used to save a scene. The audio amplifier 214 is typically ananalog circuit that powers the provided analog audio signals to driveone or more speakers.

It is understood that zone player 200 is an example of a playbackdevice. Examples of playback devices include those zone players that arecommercially offered for sale by Sonos, Inc. Santa Barbara, Calif. Theycurrently include a ZonePlayer 90, ZonePlayer 120, and Sonos S5. TheZonePlayer 90 is an example zone player without a built-in amplifier,whereas the ZonePlayer 120 is an example zone player with a built-inamplifier. The S5 is an example zone player with a built-in amplifierand speakers. In particular, the S5 is a five-driver speaker system thatincludes two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, and one subwoofer. Whenplaying audio content via the S5, the left audio data of a track is sentout of the left tweeter and left mid-range driver, the right audio dataof a track is sent out of the right tweeter and the right mid-rangedriver, and mono bass is sent out of the subwoofer. Further, bothmid-range drivers and both tweeters have the same equalization (orsubstantially the same equalization). That is, they are both sent thesame frequencies, just from different channels of audio. While the S5 isan example of a zone player with speakers, it is understood that a zoneplayer with speakers is not limited to one with a certain number ofspeakers (e.g., five speakers as in the S5), but rather can contain oneor more speakers. Further, a zone player may be part of another device,which might even serve a primary purpose different than audio.

IV. EXAMPLE CONTROLLER

Referring now to FIG. 2B, there is shown an exemplary controller 240,which may correspond to the controlling device 140 or 142 of FIG. 1. Thecontroller 240 may be used to facilitate the control of multi-mediaapplications, automation and others in a complex. In particular, thecontroller 240 is configured to facilitate a selection of a plurality ofaudio sources available on the network, controlling operations of one ormore zone players (e.g., the zone player 200) through a RF interfacecorresponding to the wireless interface 216 of FIG. 2A. According to oneembodiment, the wireless means is based on an industry standard (e.g.,infrared, radio, wireless standard IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b 802.11g,802.11n, or 802.15.1). When a particular audio source is being played inthe zone player 200, a picture, if there is any, associated with theaudio source may be transmitted from the zone player 200 to thecontroller 240 for display. In one embodiment, the controller 240 isused to synchronize audio playback of more than one zone player bygrouping the zone players in a group. In another embodiment, thecontroller 240 is used to control the volume of each of the zone playersin a zone group individually or together.

In an embodiment, the controller 240 is used to create a pairing betweentwo or more playback devices to create or enhance a multi-channellistening environment. For example, the controller 240 may be used toselect and pair two or more playback devices. In addition, thecontroller 240 may be used to turn pairing on or off. The controller 240may also be used to consolidate playback devices, and further to set aparticular playback device in consolidated mode. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the controller 240 provides a flexible mechanism fordynamically configuring a multi-channel audio environment. In someinstances, the pairing creates a multi-channel listening environment. Insome instances, the pairing enhances a multi-channel listeningenvironment by increasing the separation between devices. For example,two individual playback devices, which are positioned at a distance fromeach other, may provide more channel separation to the listener than theaudio coming from only a single device.

The user interface for the controller 240 includes a screen 242 (e.g., aLCD screen) and a set of functional buttons as follows: a “zones” button244, a “back” button 246, a “music” button 248, a scroll wheel 250, “ok”button 252, a set of transport control buttons 254, a mute button 262, avolume up/down button 264, a set of soft buttons 266 corresponding tothe labels 268 displayed on the screen 242.

The screen 242 displays various screen menus in response to a user'sselection. In one embodiment, the “zones” button 244 activates a zonemanagement screen or “Zone Menu”, which is described in more detailsbelow. The “back” button 246 may lead to different actions depending onthe current screen. In one embodiment, the “back” button triggers thecurrent screen display to go back to a previous one. In anotherembodiment, the “back” button negates the user's erroneous selection.The “music” button 248 activates a music menu, which allows theselection of an audio source (e.g., a song) to be added to a zoneplayer's music queue for playback.

The scroll wheel 250 is used for selecting an item within a list,whenever a list is presented on the screen 242. When the items in thelist are too many to be accommodated in one screen display, a scrollindicator such as a scroll bar or a scroll arrow is displayed beside thelist. When the scroll indicator is displayed, a user may rotate thescroll wheel 250 to either choose a displayed item or display a hiddenitem in the list. The “OK” button 252 is used to confirm the userselection on the screen 242.

There are three transport buttons 254, which are used to control theeffect of the currently playing song. For example, the functions of thetransport buttons may include play/pause and forward/rewind a song, moveforward to a next song track, or move backward to a previous track.According to one embodiment, pressing one of the volume control buttonssuch as the mute button 262 or the volume up/down button 264 activates avolume panel. In addition, there are three soft buttons 266 that can beactivated in accordance with the labels 268 on the screen 242. It isunderstood that, in a multi-zone system, there may be multiple audiosources being played respectively in more than one zone players. Themusic transport functions described herein shall apply selectively toone of the sources when a corresponding one of the zone players or zonegroups is selected.

FIG. 2C shows an exemplary controller 260 which may correspond to thecontrolling device 140 or 142 of FIG. 1. The controller 260 is providedwith a touch screen that allows a user to interact with the controller,for example, to navigate a playlist of many items, to control operationsof one or more players. In one embodiment as it will be further shown inFIGS. 10A to 10F, a user may interact with the controller to make amulti-channel audio environment, such as create a stereo pair forexample, and may even be used to separate the multi-channel audioenvironment, such as disengage a stereo pair. It should be noted thatother network-enabled portable devices such as an iPhone, iPad or anyother smart phone or network-enabled device may be used as a controllerto interact or control multiple zone players in an environment (e.g., anetworked computer such as a PC or Mac may also be used as acontroller). According to one embodiment, an application may bedownloaded into a network enabled device. Such an application mayimplement most of the functions discussed above for the controller 240using a navigating mechanism or touch screen in the device. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate the flexibility of such anapplication and its ability to be ported to a new type of portabledevice given the detailed description herein.

FIG. 2D illustrates an internal functional block diagram of an exemplarycontroller 270, which may correspond to the controller 240 of FIG. 2B, acomputing device, smart phone, or any other communicative device. Thescreen 272 on the controller 270 may be an LCD screen. The screen 272communicates with and is commanded by a screen driver 274 that iscontrolled by a microcontroller (e.g., a processor) 276. The memory 282may be loaded with one or more application modules 284 that can beexecuted by the microcontroller 276 with or without a user input via theuser interface 278 to achieve desired tasks. In one embodiment, anapplication module is configured to facilitate grouping a number ofselected zone players into a zone group and synchronizing the zoneplayers for one audio source. In another embodiment, an applicationmodule is configured to control together the audio sounds (e.g., volume)of the zone players in a zone group. In operation, when themicrocontroller 276 executes one or more of the application modules 284,the screen driver 274 generates control signals to drive the screen 272to display an application specific user interface accordingly, more ofwhich will be described below.

The controller 270 includes a network interface 280 referred to as a RFinterface 280 that facilitates wireless communication with a zone playervia a corresponding RF interface thereof In one embodiment, the commandssuch as volume control and audio playback synchronization are sent viathe RF interfaces. In another embodiment, a saved zone groupconfiguration is transmitted between a zone player and a controller viathe RF interfaces. The controller 270 may control one or more zoneplayers, such as 102, 104 and 106 of FIG. 1. Nevertheless, there may bemore than one controller, each preferably in a zone (e.g., a room orrooms nearby each other) and configured to control any one and all ofthe zone players.

In one embodiment, a user creates a zone group including at least twozone players from the controller 240 that sends signals or data to oneof the zone players. As all the zone players are coupled on a network,the received signals in one zone player can cause other zone players inthe group to be synchronized so that all the zone players in the groupplay back an identical audio source or a list of identical audio sourcesin a timely synchronized manner such that no (or substantially no)audible delays or hiccups could be heard. Similarly, when a userincreases the audio volume of the group from the controller, the signalsor data of increasing the audio volume for the group are sent to one ofthe zone players and causes other zone players in the group to beincreased together in volume and in scale.

According to one implementation, an application module is loaded inmemory 282 for zone group management. When a predetermined key (e.g. the“zones” button 244) is activated on the controller 240, the applicationmodule is executed in the microcontroller 276. The input interface 278coupled to and controlled by the microcontroller 276 receives inputsfrom a user. A “Zone Menu” is then displayed on the screen 272. The usermay start grouping zone players into a zone group by activating a “LinkZones” or “Add Zone” soft button, or de-grouping a zone group byactivating an “Unlink Zones” or “Drop Zone” button. The detail of thezone group manipulation will be further discussed below.

As described above, the input interface 278 includes a number offunction buttons as well as a screen graphical user interface. It shouldbe pointed out that the controller 240 in FIG. 2B is not the onlycontrolling device that may practice the embodiments. Other devices thatprovide the equivalent control functions (e.g., a computing device, ahand-held device) may also be configured to practice the presentinvention. In the above description, unless otherwise specificallydescribed, it is clear that keys or buttons are generally referred to aseither the physical buttons or soft buttons, enabling a user to enter acommand or data.

One mechanism for ‘joining’ zone players together for music playback isto link a number of zone players together to form a group. To link anumber of zone players together, a user may manually link each zoneplayer or room one after the other. For example, there is a multi-zonesystem that includes the following zones:

Bathroom

Bedroom

Den

Dining Room

Family Room

Foyer

If a user wishes to link five of the six zone players using the currentmechanism, the user may start with a single zone and then manually linkeach zone to that zone. This mechanism may be sometimes quite timeconsuming. According to one embodiment, a set of zones can bedynamically linked together using one command. Using what is referred toherein as a theme or a zone scene, zones can be configured in aparticular scene (e.g., morning, afternoon, or garden), where apredefined zone grouping and setting of attributes for the grouping areautomatically effectuated.

For instance, a “Morning” zone scene/configuration command would linkthe Bedroom, Den and Dining Room together in one action. Without thissingle command, the user would need to manually and individually linkeach zone. FIG. 3A provides an illustration of one zone scene, where theleft column shows the starting zone grouping—all zones are separate, thecolumn on the right shows the effects of grouping the zones to make agroup of 3 zones named after “Morning”.

Expanding this idea further, a Zone Scene can be set to create multiplesets of linked zones. For example, a scene creates 3 separate groups ofzones, the downstairs zones would be linked together, the upstairs zoneswould be linked together in their own group, and the outside zones (inthis case the patio) would move into a group of its own.

In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 3B, a user defines multiple groups tobe gathered at the same time. For example: an “Evening Scene” is desiredto link the following zones:

-   -   Group1    -   Bedroom    -   Den    -   Dining Room    -   Group 2    -   Garage    -   Garden        where Bathroom, Family Room and Foyer should be separated from        any group if they were part of a group before the Zone Scene was        invoked.

A feature of certain embodiments is that that zones do not need to beseparated before a zone scene is invoked. In one embodiment, a commandis provided and links all zones in one step, if invoked. The command isin a form of a zone scene. After linking the appropriate zones, a zonescene command could apply the following attributes:

-   -   Set volumes levels in each zones (each zone can have a different        volume)    -   Mute/Unmute zones.    -   Select and play specific music in the zones.    -   Set the play mode of the music (Shuffle, Repeat, Shuffle-repeat)    -   Set the music playback equalization of each zone (e.g., bass        treble).

A further extension of this embodiment is to trigger a zone scenecommand as an alarm clock function. For instance the zone scene is setto apply at 8:00 am. It could link appropriate zones automatically, setspecific music to play and then stop the music after a defined duration.Although a single zone may be assigned to an alarm, a scene set as analarm clock provides a synchronized alarm, allowing any zones linked inthe scene to play a predefined audio (e.g., a favorable song, apredefined playlist) at a specific time or for a specific duration. If,for any reason, the scheduled music failed to be played (e.g., an emptyplaylist, no connection to a share, failed UPnP, no Internet connectionfor an Internet Radio station), a backup buzzer will sound. This buzzerwill be a sound file that is stored in a zone player.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary user interface 400 that may be displayed on acontroller 142 or a computer 110 of FIG. 1. The interface 400 shows alist of items that may be set up by a user to cause a scene to functionat a specific time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the list of itemsincludes “Alarm”, “Time”, “Zone”, “Music”, “Frequency” and “Alarmlength”. “Alarm” can be set on or off. When “Alarm” is set on, “Time” isa specific time to set off the alarm. “Zone” shows which zone playersare being set to play a specified audio at the specific time. “Music”shows what to be played when the specific time arrives. “Frequency”allows the user to define a frequency of the alarm. “Alarm length”defines how long the audio is to be played. It should be noted that theuser interface 400 is provided herein to show some of the functionsassociated with setting up an alarm. Depending on an exactimplementation, other functions, such as time zone, daylight savings,time synchronization, and time/date format for display may also beprovided.

According to one embodiment, each zone player in a scene may be set upfor different alarms. For example, a “Morning” scene includes three zoneplayers, each in a bedroom, a den, and a dining room. After selectingthe scene, the user may set up an alarm for the scene as whole. As aresult, each of the zone players will be activated at a specific time.

FIG. 5A shows a user interface 500 to allow a user to form a scene. Thepanel on the left shows the available zones in a household. The panel onthe right shows the zones that have been selected and be grouped as partof this scene. Depending on an exact implementation of a user interface,Add/Remove buttons may be provided to move zones between the panels, orzones may be dragged along between panels.

FIG. 5B shows another user interface 520 to allow a user to form ascene. The user interface 520 that may be displayed on a controller or acomputing device, lists available zones in a system. A checkbox isprovided next to each of the zones so that a user may check in the zonesto be associated with the scene.

FIG. 5C shows a user interface 510 to allow a user to adjust a volumelevel of the zone players in a zone scene individually or collectively.As shown in the user interface 510, the ‘Volumes . . . ’ button (shownas sliders, other forms are possible) allows the user to affect thevolumes of the associated zone players when a zone scene is invoked. Inone embodiment, the zone players can be set to retain whatever volumethat they currently have when the scene is invoked. Additionally theuser can decide if the volumes should be unmuted or muted when the sceneis invoked.

V. PROVIDING EXAMPLE PLAYER THEMES OR ZONE SCENES

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart or process 600 of providing a player theme or azone scene for a plurality of players, where one or more of the playersare placed in a zone. The process 600 is presented in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention and may be implemented in amodule to be located in the memory 282 of FIG. 2C.

The process 600 is initiated when a user decides to proceed with a zonescene at 602. The process 600 then moves to 604 where it allows a userto decide which zone players to be associated with the scene. Forexample, there are ten players in a household, and the scene is namedafter “Morning”. The user may be given an interface to select four ofthe ten players to be associated with the scene. At 606, the scene issaved. The scene may be saved in any one of the members in the scene. Inthe example of FIG. 1, the scene is saved in one of the zone players anddisplayed on the controller 142. In operation, a set of data pertainingto the scene includes a plurality of parameters. In one embodiment, theparameters include, but may not be limited to, identifiers (e.g., IPaddress) of the associated players and a playlist. The parameters mayalso include volume/tone settings for the associated players in thescene. The user may go back to 602 to configure another scene ifdesired.

Given a saved scene, a user may activate the scene at any time or set upa timer to activate the scene at 610. The process 600 can continue whena saved scene is activated at 610. At 612, upon the activation of asaved scene, the process 600 checks the status of the players associatedwith the scene. The status of the players means that each of the playersshall be in condition to react in a synchronized manner. In oneembodiment, the interconnections of the players are checked to make surethat the players communicate among themselves and/or with a controllerif there is such a controller in the scene.

It is assumed that all players associated with the scene are in goodcondition. At 614, commands are executed with the parameters (e.g.,pertaining to a playlist and volumes). In one embodiment, data includingthe parameters is transported from a member (e.g., a controller) toother members in the scene so that the players are caused to synchronizean operation configured in the scene. The operation may cause allplayers to play back a song in identical or different volumes or to playback a pre-stored file.

VI. EXAMPLE MULTI-CHANNEL ENVIRONMENTS

FIG. 7 shows an example configuration in which an audio source is playedback on two players 702 and 704, according to an example embodiment.These two players 702 and 704 may be located in and around one place(e.g., a hall, room, or nearby rooms) and are designated to play twosound tracks respectively. For example, an audio source may have leftand right sound channels or tracks (e.g., stereo sound). Instead ofgrouping the players 702 and 704 to play back the audio source togetherin synchrony, where each player 702 and 704 plays the same audio contentat substantially the same time, the players 702 and 704 can be paired toplay different channels of the audio source in synchrony. As a result ofpairing, the stereo sound effects can be simulated or enhanced via twoplayers 702 and 704 versus one player or none of the players, forexample.

In certain embodiments, each player of players 702 and 704 includes anetwork interface, one or more speaker drivers (two or more speakerdrivers in some instances, such as when the player can play in stereomode absent pairing), an amplifier, and a processor, such as shown inFIG. 2A. The network interface receives audio data over a network. Oneor more amplifiers power the speaker drivers. The processor processesthe audio data to be output through the speaker drivers. The processormay further configure a first equalization of the output from thespeaker drivers in accordance with a first type of pairing andconfiguring a second equalization of the output from the speaker driversin accordance with a second type of pairing.

In an embodiment, the two players 702 and 704 are configured to output aplurality of audio channels independent of each other. For example, eachplayer 702 and 704 may be configured to output audio content in stereoindependently from each other. Subsequent to pairing, one playbackdevice (e.g., player 702) is configured to output a first subset of theplurality of audio channels and the other playback device (e.g., player704) is configured to output a second subset of the plurality of audiochannels. The first and second subsets are different. In this example,subsequent to pairing players 702 and 704, player 702 might play theright channel and player 704 might play the left channel. In anotherexample, player 702 might play the right channel plus a center channel(e.g., in television or theater mode) and player 704 might play the leftchannel plus the center channel. Even in the latter example, the firstand second subsets are different in that player 702 is playing channelsRight+Center and player 704 is playing channels Left+Center. In yetanother embodiment, subsequent to pairing, player 702 might play allchannels except certain bass frequencies, which may be played via player704, thereby using player 704 as a subwoofer.

In another embodiment, a collection of three or more playback devices(e.g., players 702, 704, and one or more additional players) are eachconfigured to output a plurality of audio channels independent ofanother playback device in the collection. Subsequent to pairing, eachof the playback devices is configured to output a generally differentaudio channel(s) from the collection. This embodiment is particularlyuseful in a television or movie theater setting where a particularplayback device of the multiple playback devices is configured to outputin two-channel or stereo mode at one time (e.g., when playing a song),and subsequent to pairing, is configured to output as a front-rightchannel, a front-center channel, a front-left channel, a rear-rightchannel, a rear-left channel, and so on (e.g., when watching a movie ortelevision).

In another embodiment, one of the paired playback devices (e.g., player702 or player 704) processes the data of the audio item, essentiallyseparating the data into channels, each of the channels representing asingle-sound track, for example, and being played back in one of theplayback devices, thus creating or enhancing a multi-channel listeningenvironment. In an alternative embodiment, both playback devices (e.g.,players 702 and 704) may receive and process the data of the audio itemand each playback device may output only the audio content designatedfor the respective player. For example, player 702 might receive bothleft and right channel audio, but only play the left channel, whereasplayer 704 might also receive both left and right channel audio, butonly play the right channel.

In another embodiment, two or more playback devices (e.g., players 702or 704) may be grouped into a single or consolidated playback device andthe consolidated playback device (e.g., consolidated player 702+704) maybe paired with one or more playback devices. For instance, two playbackdevices maybe grouped into a first consolidated playback device and twoadditional playback devices maybe grouped into a second consolidatedplayback device. Then, the first and second consolidated playbackdevices may be paired to create or enhance a multi-channel listeningenvironment.

In certain embodiments, a playback device (e.g., either player 702 or704) that is configured to output an audio channel is paired with one ormore additional playback devices, such that the playback device isconfigured to output a different audio channel than previouslyconfigured. For instance, the playback device might be configured tooutput a right channel in stereo mode, but subsequent to being pairedwith one or more additional playback devices, might be configured tooutput a rear, right channel in theater mode. The playback device may bepaired to one or more other playback devices.

In certain embodiments, a playback device (e.g., either player 702 or704) that is configured to output a plurality of audio channels ispaired with one or more additional playback devices, such that theplayback device is configured to output a subset of the plurality ofaudio channels relative to the one or more additional playback devices.For instance, the playback device might be configured to output intwo-channel or stereo mode, but subsequent to being paired with one ormore playback devices might be configured to output a right or leftchannel. The playback device may be paired to one or more other playbackdevices.

According to certain embodiments, the action of pairing two or moreplayback devices is triggered based on a command from a user via acontrol interface (e.g., a manual command) or responsive to an event(e.g., an automatic command). For example, using a controller, a usercan create a pairing between two or more playback devices or disengagethe pairing between two or more playback devices. In another example,pairing may be triggered by the audio content itself, a signal receivedfrom a source device, or some other predefined event, such that pairingoccurs when the event is detected by the controller or playback device,for example. In addition, another device might be programmed to detectthe event and provide a pairing signal to the controller and/or playbackdevices.

Further, it is understood that going from a configuration of no pairing(unpaired or non paired) to a configuration of pairing or from one kindof pairing (e.g., a pairing used in a type of stereo mode or theatermode) to a different kind of pairing (e.g., another pairing used in atype of stereo mode or theater mode) are all various types of “pairing”that can occur according to certain embodiments. In addition,disengaging a pairing between multiple playback devices might go frompairing to no pairing or from pairing of a first kind back to pairing ofa previous kind, for example.

In one example, a first type of pairing might include “no pairing” withanother playback device and a second type of pairing might includepairing with one or more additional playback devices. In a secondexample, a first type of pairing might include pairing with a secondplayback device and a second type of pairing might include pairing witha plurality of playback devices. In a third example, a first type ofpairing might include reproducing two channel sound via the speakerdrivers and a second type of pairing comprises reproducing no more thanone channel of the two channel sound via the speaker drivers. In afourth example, a first type of pairing might comprise reproducing afirst audio channel via the speaker drivers and the second type ofpairing might include reproducing a second audio channel via the speakerdrivers. In a fifth example, a first type of pairing might includereproducing the audio content via the speaker drivers in stereo mode anda second type of pairing might include reproducing the audio content viathe speaker drivers in theater mode. In a sixth example, a first type ofpairing might include reproducing the audio content via the speakerdrivers and a second type of pairing comprises reproducing the audiocontent via the speaker drivers when in consolidated mode. It isunderstood that various variations and modifications may be made to theexamples described just above with the attainment of some or all of theadvantages of the technology described herein.

According to certain embodiments, the configuration of a playback devicemay include any of: changing the equalization of the playback device bychanging the equalization of one or more specific speaker drivers andoptimizing the synchronization between paired devices. Changing theequalization of the playback device might include any of: turning on oroff (or effectively muting) one or more specific speaker drivers,changing the channel output of one or more speaker drivers, changing thefrequency response of one or more specific speaker drivers, changing theamplifier gain of any particular speaker driver, changing the amplifiergain of the playback device as a whole.

In certain embodiments, changing the equalization of a playback device(e.g., changing the equalization of one or more speaker drivers of theplayback device) may affect frequency dependent parameters. Examplesmight include the adjustment of the strength of frequencies within theaudio data, a phase adjustment, and time-delay adjustment. In addition,a particular equalization may use a first type of pass filter, such asone that attenuates high, middle, or low frequencies, for example, whileallowing other frequencies to pass unfiltered (or substantiallyunfiltered). Filters might also be different kinds or of a differentorder (e.g., first order filter, second order filter, third orderfilter, fourth order filter, and so on). For example, a firstequalization of a playback device might include using a first type ofpass filter to modify the output based on a first type of pairing and asecond equalization of the playback device might include using a secondtype of pass filter to modify the output based on the second type ofpairing. In this example, the first and second type of pass filters haveone or different properties and/or behaviors, thus changing theequalization and sonic behavior of the device.

By way of illustration, when two S5 devices are paired to create astereo pair, for example, one S5 device may be configured as the “left”and the other S5 device may be configured as the “right.” In oneembodiment, the user may determine which is left or right. In thisconfiguration, for example, the left and right audio data may be sent toboth S5 devices, but the left audio data of the track is played out ofthe S5 device configured as left and the right audio data of a track isplayed out of the S5 device configured as right. In addition, theequalization of each S5 device is changed in an attempt to reduce oreliminate certain constructive or destructive interference. For example,one tweeter on each S5 device may be turned off or substantially muted.In certain embodiments, the crossover frequency to each driver may evenbe changed from a previous configuration so that two or more drivers arenot necessarily outputting the exact same audio data, otherwiseconstructive and/or destructive interference may occur. In certainembodiments, the amplifier gain is adjusted for a particular speakerdriver and/or for the playback device as a whole.

In operation, according to certain embodiments, a controller 706 (e.g.,a controller 142 of FIG. 1 or 240 of FIG. 2B or a portable device) isused to initiate the operation. Through a user interface, the controller706 causes a player 702 to retrieve the audio source, provided the audiosource is on a network 708 (e.g., the Internet or a local area network).Similarly, the controller 706 may also cause a designated device (e.g.,another networked device) to establish a communication session with theplayer 702 to deliver the requested audio source. In any case, eitherone or both of the players 702 and 704 may have access to the datarepresenting the audio source.

In certain embodiments, a module in the player 702 is activated toprocess the data. According to one embodiment, the right and left soundtracks are separated. One sound track is retained locally in one playerand the other sound track is pushed or uploaded to the other device(e.g., via an ad-hoc network). When the right and left sound tracks areplayed back simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, the stereosound effect can be appreciated.

In another embodiment, several tracks are separated, such as intelevision or theater mode. For example, the tracks may be separatedinto a center channel, right front channel, left front channel, rightrear channel, left rear channel, and so on. Accordingly, one or moresound tracks may be retained locally in one player and the other soundtracks are pushed or uploaded to the other devices.

In yet another embodiment, one player might process the data and retainone or more tracks locally, while the remaining data is sent ontoanother player. The receiving player may then process the data andretain one or more tracks locally and send any remaining data ontoanother player. This process, or one like it, may continue until all ofthe tracks are retained locally by corresponding player devices.

In yet another embodiment, each player might receive and process thedata and play only the channel or channels that are designated for thatplayer.

In certain embodiments, it is important to maintain goodsynchronization, especially when pairing two or more independentlyclocked playback devices so that the multi-channel audio content isplayed back as it was originally intended. According to an embodiment, amessage may be initiated from one device to another that is alsoactivated to send back an acknowledgement. Upon receiving theacknowledgement, the time delay in transporting data from one device toanother can be measured. The time delay will be considered whensynchronizing the two players to play back the two separated soundtracks. In certain embodiments, if sending a packet (e.g., a packet inaccordance with SNTP protocol) to a playback device and receiving aresponse takes more than fifteen milliseconds, for example, the timinginformation contained within that packet, such as clock information, isdiscarded. If sending and receiving a packet is less than fifteenmilliseconds, then the information from the packet is used to adjustplayback, if so necessary.

Additional details of synchronizing operations of two or moreindependently clocked players are provided in commonly assigned U.S.application Ser. No. 10/816,217, filed Apr. 1, 2004, entitled “Systemand Method For Synchronizing Operations Among A Plurality OfIndependently Clocked Digital Data Processing Devices” which is herebyincorporated by reference.

FIG. 8 shows an example configuration of a pairing amongst multipleplayers 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 in a theater-like environment,in accordance to an embodiment. Player 802 may operate as a front-leftchannel, player 804 may operate as a center channel, player 806 mayoperate as a front-right channel, player 808 may operate as a subwoofer,player 810 may operate as a rear, right channel, and player 812 mayoperate as a rear, right channel. In this example, the players 802, 804,806, 808, 810, and 812 are wirelessly coupled over network 816 so as toreceive and transmit data over a wireless network, and obtain power frompower outlets in the wall or through some other power source (e.g., abattery). Players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may be wired, if soconfigured in an alternate embodiment. Controller 814 may be anetwork-enabled device, examples of which include a smart phone, tabletcomputer, laptop computer, desktop computer, or a television.

In one embodiment, a designated player, such as player 804, receivesmulti-channel audio content from a source 816. Source 816 might includeaudio and/or video content downloaded or streamed from the Internet, aDVD or Blu-Ray player, or from some other source of audio and/or videocontent. Player 804 separates the multi-channel audio and sendsrespective audio channels to its playback owner. For example, if aparticular audio channel is designated for the front, right speaker,then that content is wirelessly directed from player 804 to player 802,and so on. Players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 play the audiocontent synchronously, so as to create a multi-channel listeningenvironment. Moreover, if source 816 provides video content along withaudio content, then the audio content is preferably played in synchronywith the video content.

In another embodiment, each player of players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810,and 812 may separate out its own one or more channels for playback. Thatis, either all audio content, or a portion thereof, is sent to eachplayer (e.g., from source 816 or another playback device) and the playeritself obtains its own data for playback.

In addition, players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 may bereconfigured to operate in many different configurations, such asdescribed above. For example, players 802 and 806 may be paired tooperate in stereo mode, while the other players remain in sleep mode orturned off (player 808 may remain on in any particular configuration, ifso desired and configured, because it is operating as a subwoofer). Inanother example, players 802 and 810 may be consolidated and output leftchannel audio, while players 806 and 812 may be consolidated and outputright channel audio. In yet another example, some of players 802, 804,806, 808, 810, and 812 are consolidated into a single player and pairedwith additional playback devices, such as in an adjacent room. In afurther example, players 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 are groupedand not paired, when the audio content is music (versus movie content,for example). These are just some configuration examples. Many otherconfigurations are possible using the teachings described herein.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart or process 900 of grouping a plurality of audioproducts to play separated sound tracks in synchronization to simulate amulti-channel listening environment. The process 900 is presented inaccordance with certain embodiments and may be implemented in a moduleto be located in the memory 282 of FIG. 2D. To facilitate thedescription of process 900, a listening environment of stereo sound withleft and right channels is described. Those skilled in the art canappreciate that the description can be equally applied to other forms ofmulti-channel listening environment (e.g., three, five, seven channelenvironments).

Typically, there is a plurality of players being controlled by one ormore controllers, where these players are disposed in various locations.For example, there are five players in a house; three of them arerespectively disposed in three rooms while two players are disposed in alarger room. Accordingly, these two players would be candidates to bepaired to simulate a stereo listening environment, instead of justplaying synchronized audio from both in a grouped fashion. In anotherexample, there are four players in a large space or adjacent spaces, twopairs of the players may be paired to simulate a stereo listeningenvironment, in which two players in one consolidated pair can begrouped to play back one (left) sound track and the other two in theother consolidated pair can be grouped to play back one (right) soundtrack.

In any case, two groups of players or two players are decided to bepaired at 902. If no players are paired, the process 900 will not beactivated. It is assumed that two players from a group of players beingcontrolled by a controller are selected to be paired at 902. The process900 proceeds.

At 904, a user may decide which player is to play back which soundtrack. Depending on the location of the user or listener(s) with respectto the selected players, it is assumed that a player or unit A is chosento play back a left sound track and another player or unit B is chosento play back a right sound track. In an alternative embodiment, theplayers themselves (or the controller) may automatically determine whichunit is configured to play the right channel and which unit isconfigured to play the left channel without input from the user.

According to one embodiment, a time delay in transporting data betweenthe two units A and B is measured at 906. This time delay may facilitatesound synchronization between the two units as one of the units willreceive a processed sound track from the other. The user may continue tooperate on a controller to select a title (e.g., an audio source or anitem from a playlist) for playback on the two units at 910.

Once the title is determined at 912, the data for the title is accessed.Depending on where the data is located, the controller may be configuredto cause one of the two units to obtain or stream in the data. In oneembodiment, the controller or unit A initiates a request to aremotely-networked device providing or storing the data. Assuming anauthentication procedure, if any, completes successfully, the remotedevice starts to upload the data to the unit A. Likewise, if the data islocally stored in the unit A, the data can be accessed locally withoutrequesting the same from the network. As the data is being received oraccessed in the unit A, a processing module is activated in the unit Ato process the data, essentially separating the data into two streams ofsound tracks at 914. In an alternative embodiment, each unit may receiveand process the data, essentially separating the data into a stream tobe played by the respective unit.

At 916, one of the streams is uploaded from the unit A to unit B via alocal network (e.g., the ad-hoc network formed by all the players beingcontrolled by the controller). As the streams are being distributed, thetwo units are configured to play back the streams respectively, eachreproducing the sound of a single sound track at 918. Together, insynchrony, the two units create a stereo sound listening environment.

It should be noted that the delay time, if noticeable, may beincorporated into the unit A to delay the consumption of the stream bythe delay time to synchronize with the unit B. Alternatively, anon-selected player may be used to process a streaming data of the titleand configured to supply two streams to the pair of players, thusequalizing the delay time that would be otherwise experienced by theunit B.

FIGS. 10A-10F show illustrative screenshots of a controller for creatinga stereo pair in accordance with certain embodiments. The screenshotsare from a computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, laptop, ordesktop) used as a controller. Those skilled in the art can appreciatethat FIGS. 10A-10F may be readily modified to be used in a portabledevice with network capability, such as, for example, iPhone or iTouchor other smart phone or other network-enabled devices. Additionally, thecontroller might exist as part of a player itself or directly/indirectlycoupled to the player, and therefore such screenshots may be modifiedaccordingly—such a controller need not have network capability as theplayer will have network connectivity.

FIG. 10A shows a graphic interface 1000 that may be displayed on acontroller when a user desires to create a stereo pair with two playersin a system. It is understood that the system may include two or moreplayers. If a stereo pair is desired, such as discussed with respect tothe example of FIGS. 10A-10F, then any two players (one or both of whichmay be a consolidated player) in the system may be paired. However, ifpairing more than two players is desired, such as creating anenvironment which is capable of playing more than two channel audiodata, then the graphic interface 1000 may include an additional optionor options. For example, an option might include “Make a Movie SurroundSound Pairing,” “Make a Music Surround Sound Pairing,” or “Make a DolbyPro Logic Pairing.” Any descriptive language may be used toappropriately indicate to the user the type of pairing that can becreated. Upon selecting an option, a setup wizard on the controller mayhelp the user appropriately configure the system such that multi-channeldiscrete audio may be effectively realized by the system.

Turning back to FIG. 10A, the interface 1000 allows a user to initiate astereo pair with a zone player named “ZPS5-Black.” In certainembodiments, the system recognizes that ZPS5-Black is part of aparticular zone (e.g., kitchen, family room, bedroom, and so on). Thesystem may allow the user to pair ZPS5-Black with another player in thesame zone only, or alternatively, the system may allow the user to pairZPS5-Black with another player in a different zone (such as an adjacentzone). Pairing players in different zones may be particularly usefulwhen an open space is divided into two or more zones (e.g., an openspace might include a kitchen and family room, for example).

Additionally, the system may be programmed such that pairing playersfrom different zones creates another zone to reflect the players inpaired mode (e.g., a single kitchen-family room zone during pairedoperation might originate from a kitchen zone and a family room zoneduring non-paired operation). In such an embodiment, a user may be ableto switch between zones or dynamically create new zones.

In certain embodiments, if another similar player is available to bepaired, then the screenshot of FIG. 10B may be displayed. If the userwishes to continue with creating a pair, then the user may select “OK.”If not, then the user may select “Cancel.” In another embodiment, adifferent player (e.g., a player that is not an S5) may be pairedtogether. That is, different types of players may be paired, if theplayers are so designed to be paired. To accommodate the differences inplayer type, the equalization of one or more players may be adjustedaccordingly to compensate for things like the number and size of speakerdrivers used in one player versus the other player. In yet anotherembodiment, a list of the players in the system may be displayed (notshown), from which the user selects two or more players to make thestereo pair. The list of players may be automatically determined by thesystem based on a player's particular location within a home, room, orconfiguration with other players within a room, for example.

Turning now to FIG. 10C, in this example, it is assumed that the usermay select a zone player named “ZPS5-White” to be paired with“ZPS5-Black” to create a stereo pair. If so desired, the user may select“OK” to proceed with the pairing. Otherwise, the user may select“Cancel.” In certain embodiments, ZPS5-White may be in the same zone asZPS5-Black. In other embodiments, ZPS5-White may be in a different zoneas ZPS5-Black.

Upon selecting “OK” in FIG. 10C, a screenshot like that of FIG. 10D maybe displayed to the user, thereby instructing the user to press the mutebutton (or some other designated button) on the “LEFT” player of thestereo pair. Further, a light on the players may flash to furtherindicate that each of the players is a possibility for left channelpairing. Upon selection of the left player, FIG. 10E may be displayed toinform the user that a pair has been created along with a name for thepair, if so desired. Responsively, the system will play the left channelaudio from the user designated player and will automatically play theright channel audio from the other player. FIG. 10F provides an examplescreenshot to allow the user to separate the stereo pair if so desired.

In an alternative embodiment, the creation of a stereo pair may be anoption for a particular zone or a number of zones (e.g., a household ofzones). For example, an option like “Create a Stereo Pair” may existsuch that upon selection, a setup wizard may launch asking the user topress a flashing mute button (or some other designated button) onwhichever speaker the user wanted to be the left speaker in the zone, aportion of zones, or all of the zones. In one embodiment, flashing wouldoccur for all of the same speaker types. In another embodiment, flashingwould occur for all speaker types that are capable of being paired.After choosing the left speaker, the wizard screen would ask the user todo the same for the right speaker. Preferably, only the speakers thatare capable of being paired as the right speaker are flashing so as toappropriately narrow the choices for the user.

Additionally, in one embodiment and as shown in FIG. 3A or 3B, a graphicdisplay is provided to show to the user all the players in a system andhow they are grouped or named. A nickname for the stereo pair in thedisplay 1040 may be highlighted and would be further displayed in FIG.3A if FIG. 3A is modified after the stereo pair is complete

A similar graphic interface may be used to create a pair in anenvironment having more than two channels. For example, in a hometheater environment, the system may list more than two separate playersfrom which the user can create a pairing by selecting which player is tooperate as the front right, center, front left, rear right, and rearleft. A subwoofer may also be added to the list, so that it can beintegrated into the multi-channel pairing by the user.

As an example, similar to what is described in the various embodimentsabove with respect to creating a stereo pair, the system may flash anindicator light on all relevant players and a setup wizard may ask theuser to select the “front-left,” then the “front-right,” then the“front-center,” then the “rear-left,” then the “rear-right,” and so onuntil all of the players are appropriately paired. Preferably, only thespeakers that are capable of being paired as the next speaker areflashing so as to appropriately narrow the choices for the user.

VII. EXAMPLE SMART LINE-IN PROCESSING

FIG. 11 shows an example configuration of smart line-in processing, inaccordance to an embodiment. System 1100 includes a playback device1102, a first source 1104, a second source 1106 having a line-inconnector 1108, and an audio device 1110. The playback device 1102 andany of the first source 1104 and the second source 1106 may becomponents of a single apparatus (e.g., a single playback device), orthe playback device 1102 may be separate from any of the first source1104 and second source 1106 and communicate with one another, such asover a wired or wireless network. By way of illustration, the playbackdevice 1102 may be a zone player or playback device such as shown inFIGS. 1, 2A, 7, and 8. Additionally, it is understood that first source1104 and second source 1106 may also each be a playback device, such asdescribed herein.

In certain embodiments, the playback device 1102 is idle and thereforenot producing sound. Alternatively, the playback device 1102 isconfigured to receive and play a first audio data stream from the firstsource 1104. The playback device 1102 is further capable to receive andplay a second audio data stream from the second source 1106. The secondsource 1106 is coupled to an audio device 1110 through a line-inconnector 1108 on the second source 1106. Line-in connector 1108 mayinclude a TRS type connector/socket (e.g., a TRS connector may bereferred to as an audio jack, jack plug, stereo plug, mini-jack, andmini-stereo). Other types of connectors may also be used depending onthe application. Further, a digital audio connection may be made insteadof an analog audio connection. Such as described above, an example audiodevice 1110 may include a wireless networking device, such as an AirPortExpress, which is a product that is commercially offered for sale byApple, Inc.

A listener (e.g., user of 1100) commands the audio device 1110 to playaudio (e.g., via a separate control interface like an iTunes musiccontroller). The second source 1106 is configured, such that when asignal is detected on the line-in connector 1108, the second source 1106automatically switches the playback device 1102 to play audio from theaudio device 1110 via the second audio data stream. The switch to playaudio from the audio device 1110 may optionally be performed only afterthe second source 1106 detects a signal on the line-in connector 1108for a threshold time (e.g., 300 milliseconds or less). It is understoodthat the playing of the second audio data stream may override theplaying of the first audio data stream, if the playback device 1102 wasreceiving and/or playing audio from the first source 1104. Additionally,when the playback device 1102 is automatically switched to play audiofrom the second source 1106, where the second source 1106 receives theaudio from the audio device 1110 coupled to the second source 1106 viathe line-in connector 1108, the volume of the playback device 1102 ismodified to a second volume level. The second volume level is set suchthat increased dynamic range is given to a volume control of the audiodevice 1110 connected via line-in to the second source 1106.

In another illustration, the playback device 1102 is configured toreceive and play audio from the second source 1106. During play, alistener commands the playback device 1102 via a controller (such asshown in FIG. 2D) to instead play the first audio data stream from thefirst source 1104. Upon receipt of the command, the playback device 1102switches to play the first audio data stream. The playback device 1102subsequently instructs the second source 1106 to stop sending the audioof the audio device 1110 to the playback device 1102. The second source1106 stops sending the audio to the playback device 1102 and waits untilit no longer detects a signal on its line-in connector 1108 for aninterval of time. When a signal is not detected on the line-in connector1108 for the interval of time (e.g., 13 seconds or less), the secondsource 1106 is ready to automatically switch the playback device 1102 toplay audio from the audio device 1110, should the second source 1106once again detect a signal on its line-in connector 1108. Additionally,when the playback device 1102 switches to play the first audio datastream, the volume of the playback device 1102 is returned to a safevolume level such that the audio is not played back to the listener at ahigh level. While a high level may be programmed to taste, an example ofa safe volume level is less than 100 db.

VII. CONCLUSION

The components, elements, and/or functionality of the systems discussedabove may be implemented alone or in combination in various forms inhardware, firmware, and/or as a set of instructions in software, forexample. Certain embodiments may be provided as a set of instructionsresiding on a computer-readable medium, such as a memory, hard disk,CD-ROM, DVD, and/or EPROM, for execution on a processing device, such asa controller and/or playback device.

Various inventions have been described in sufficient detail with acertain degree of particularity. It is understood to those skilled inthe art that the present disclosure of embodiments has been made by wayof examples only and that numerous changes in the arrangement andcombination of parts may be resorted without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as claimed. While the embodiments discussedherein may appear to include some limitations as to the presentation ofthe information units, in terms of the format and arrangement, theembodiments have applicability well beyond such embodiment, which can beappreciated by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

We claim:
 1. A playback device comprising: a line-in connector forreceiving a first audio signal; a network interface; a processor: and anon-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereininstructions executable by the processor to: determine that the firstaudio signal is present at the line-in connector; and in response todetermining that the first audio signal is present at the line-inconnector, (i) cease playback of a second audio signal being played bythe playback device, wherein the second audio signal is not present atthe line-in connector, (ii) cause the playback device to play at least afirst portion of the first audio signal, and (iii) cause the playbackdevice to transmit, via the network interface, at least a second portionof the first audio signal to another playback device.
 2. The playbackdevice of claim 1, wherein transmitting at least the second portion ofthe first audio signal to another playback device comprises transmittingall portions of the first audio signal to another playback device. 3.The playback device of claim 2, wherein causing the playback device toplay at least the first portion of the first audio signal comprisescausing the playback device to play all portions of the first audiosignal.
 4. The playback device of claim 2, wherein causing the playbackdevice to play at least the first portion of the first audio signalcomprises causing the playback device to play a subset of channels ofthe first audio signal.
 5. The playback device of claim 4, wherein thesubset of channels of the first audio signal consists of one of a leftchannel or a right channel.
 6. The playback device of claim 1, whereintransmitting at least the second portion of the first audio signal toanother playback device comprises transmitting a subset of channels ofthe first audio signal to another playback device.
 7. The playbackdevice of claim 6, wherein the subset of channels of the first audiosignal is a first subset of channels of the first audio signal, andwherein causing the playback device to play at least the first portionof the first audio signal comprises causing the playback device to playa second subset of channels of the first audio signal, wherein the firstsubset of channels is different from the second subset of channels. 8.The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a firstplayback device and the another playback device is a second playbackdevice, and wherein the instructions are further executable by theprocessor to: cause the playback device to transmit, via the networkinterface, at least a third portion of the first audio signal to a thirdplayback device.
 9. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein thefirst portion of the first audio signal, the second portion of the firstaudio signal, and the third portion of the first audio signal are thesame.
 10. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein the firstportion of the first audio signal, the second portion of the first audiosignal, and the third portion of the first audio signal are different.11. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to: cause the playback device to receive acommand to form a group with the another playback device.
 12. Theplayback device of claim 11, wherein the command to form the group withthe another playback device comprises a command to form a stereo pairwith the another playback device.
 13. The playback device of claim 1,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:cause the playback device to generate timing information associated withthe first audio signal; and cause the playback device to transmit, viathe network interface, the generated timing information to the anotherplayback device.
 14. The playback device of claim 1, whereintransmitting at least the second portion of the first audio signalcomprises: sampling the first audio signal; and generating data packetscomprising at least the second portion of the first audio signal. 15.The playback device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to: cease playback of the first portion ofthe first audio signal; cause the playback device to play the secondaudio signal; and while playing the second audio signal, transmit thefirst audio signal to the another playback device.
 16. The playbackdevice of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first audio signaland the second portion of the first audio signal are the same.
 17. Amethod comprising: determining, by a playback device, that a first audiosignal is present at a line-in connector; and in response to determiningthat the first audio signal is present at the line-in connector, theplayback device: (i) ceasing playback of a second audio signal beingplayed by the playback device, wherein the second audio signal is notpresent at the line-in connector, (ii) playing at least a first portionof the first audio signal, and (iii) transmitting, via a networkinterface, at least a second portion of the first audio signal toanother playback device.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereintransmitting at least the second portion of the first audio signal toanother playback device comprises transmitting all portions of the firstaudio signal to another playback device, and wherein causing theplayback device to play at least the first portion of the first audiosignal comprises causing the playback device to play a subset ofchannels of the first audio signal.
 19. The method of claim 17, whereinthe subset of channels of the first audio signal is a first subset ofchannels of the first audio signal, wherein transmitting at least thesecond portion of the first audio signal to another playback devicecomprises transmitting a subset of channels of the first audio signal toanother playback device, and wherein causing the playback device to playat least the first portion of the first audio signal comprises causingthe playback device to play a second subset of channels of the firstaudio signal, wherein the first subset of channels is different from thesecond subset of channels.